1890 Silver Dollar Value

The 1890 silver dollar value varies, depending on their value, but each piece is worth at least a silver bullion price. However, some coins, primarily those minted in Carson City, are scarce nowadays, making them sought-after among collectors.

As expected, the best-preserved Morgans are precious, but numerous collectors and dealers are prepared to pay for them as long as it takes. Therefore, they are always worth significantly more than the precious metal they are made of, plus you should pay attention to the unique error.

1890 Morgan Silver Dollar value

Condition 1890 No Mint mark Silver Dollar 1890 CC Silver Dollar 1890 CC Tail Bar Silver Dollar 1890 O Silver Dollar 1890 S Silver Dollar
Good $36 $165 $165 $36 $36
Very good $38 $200 $225 $38 $38
Fine $40 $220 $285 $40 $40
Very fine $42 $235 $325 $42 $42
Extra fine $46 $325 $600 $46 $46
AU $50 $475 $800 $50 $50
Mint state 60 $75 $900 $1,750 $100 $100
Mint state 65 $1,050 $5,500 $32,500 $1,050 $900
Proof 63 $3,750 / / / /

 

History of the 1890 Silver Dollar

History of the 1890 Silver Dollar

Morgan dollars minted from 1878 to 1921 are highly collectible silver American coins. Interestingly, they got their name after their designer George T. Morgan, and only rare admirers know them as Liberty Head dollars. The impressive thing was that this engraver beat his mentor William Barber’s idea for the same coin.

1890 Morgan Silver Dollar Types

Location Year Minted
Philadelphia 1890 No Mint mark silver Silver Dollar 16,802,000
Philadelphia 1890 proof silver Silver Dollar 590
Carson City 1890 CC silver Silver Dollar 2,309,041
New Orleans 1890 O silver Silver Dollar 10,701,000
San Francisco 1890 S silver Silver Dollar 8,230,373
Total / 38,043,004

Since the Treasury was forced to spend 2 to 4 million dollars on silver monthly, the Morgan dollar mintage was incredibly high this year. Unfortunately, many of these beautiful pieces were melted later because of the Pittman Act.

On the bright side, most Morgans were not released into circulation at that moment, so a decent number survived mass melting. The 1890 Morgan dollar was the last in the series with a huge mintage, besides subsequent coin production in 1921.

Also read: 12 Most Valuable One-Dollar Coin Worth Money

Features of the 1890 Silver Dollar

The US Mint produced silver dollars designed by George T. Morgan from 1878 to 1921. You can recognize four types of regularly struck silver dollars minted in 1890 with and without the mint mark and proof specimens.

The obverse of the 1890 Morgan Silver Dollar

The obverse of the 1890 Morgan Silver Dollar

Designer Morgan placed Lady Liberty’s left-faced profile in the obverse center. It is surrounded by E·PLURIBUS·UNUM and ✶✶✶✶✶✶1890✶✶✶✶✶✶✶. The word LIBERTY is struck along her crown, while the tiny letter M (Morgan’s initial) is placed at the neck base.

The reverse of the 1890 Morgan Silver Dollar

The reverse of the 1890 Morgan Silver Dollar

The reverse of the 1890 silver dollar depicts a symbol of the US, a bald eagle, and a laurel wreath below. You can notice inscriptions standard for American coinage, including the denomination, mint mark, country name, and Latin motto engraved in atypical Gothic script.

1890 Morgan Silver Dollar Details

Face value One dollar ($1)
Shape Round
Compound 90% silver and 10% copper
Coin thickness 0.0945 inches (2.40 mm)
Coin weight 0.8594 troy ounces (26.73 g)
Silver weight 0.7734 troy ounces (24.5 g)
Coin diameter 1.50 inches (38.10 mm)
Edge Reeded

Other features of the 1890 Morgan Silver Dollar

The 1890 Morgan dollar is one of the most collectible round silver American coins with a reeded edge. It contains 0.7734 troy ounces (24.5 g) of silver or precisely 90% of the total coin weight of 0.8594 troy ounces (26.73 g). The diameter is 1.50 inches (38.10 mm), while the thickness is 0.0945 inches (2.40 mm).

Also read: 14 Most Valuable Coins In Circulation

1890 Silver Dollar Grading

The 1890 Morgan dollar grading process includes the overall coin quality, circulation level, signs of wear, and detail visibility. The best-ranking pieces are flawless, with mint luster and all visible details on both sides. Each specimen’s grade decreases with visible damage on the surface and clear signs of being in circulation for a long time.

# Grade
1 Basal State-1
2 Fair
3 Very Fair
4, 5, 6 Good
7, 8, 10 Very Good
12, 15 Fine
20, 30 Very Fine
40 Extremely Fine
50 About Uncirculated
60 Mint State
65 Mint State
70 Mint State

Please check our grading guides to know your coin scale, It’s the necessary step to know the exact value of your coin.

Check out now: How to Grade Morgan Silver Dollar?

1890 Silver Dollar Value Guides

Regular Morgan silver dollars were minted in four mints in 1890, but only the one in Philadelphia produced proofs intended for collectors. The total mintage was 38,043,004 coins.

1890 No Mint mark Morgan Silver Dollar Value

1890 No Mint mark Morgan Silver Dollar

The Philadelphia mint had the highest 1890 No Mint mark silver dollar mintage of 16,802,000 Morgans. Most circulated pieces are worth $32 to $70, while the price of those in the mint state depends on numerous factors.

So, you can buy coins in MS 60 to MS 64 grades for $75 to $175, while better-ranking ones cost much more. For instance, it is necessary to pay $875 to $1050 for the MS 65 Morgan coins, while rare MS 66-graded ones cost $15,000 to $20,000. The most expensive is the 1890 MS 66 silver dollar paid $29,900 in 2006.

Besides, you can find proof-like Morgans at a price range from $75 (AU grade) to $1,800 (MS 65 grade). The auction record for this coin type is $5,280. The most collectible 1890 DMPL silver dollars typically cost:

  • MS 61-ranking dollars – $190 to $315
  • MS 62-ranking dollars – $395 to $475
  • MS 63-ranking dollars – $550 to $575
  • MS 64-ranking dollars – $2,000 to $2,100
  • MS 65-ranking dollars – $15,000 to $17,000

However, the auction record is almost twice the height since one collector paid $22,425 to get such a coin in 2008.

1890 proof Morgan Silver Dollar Value

1890 proof Morgan Silver Dollar

The Philadelphia produced 590 PR silver dollars in 1890. Such a low mintage resulted in their high collectability and value, so the lowest price for these coins is about $1,050 to $1,800. The best-quality ones cost $2,200 to $11,500, while the 1890 Super GEM PR Silver Dollar won the auction record after selling at $63,250 in 2005.

As expected, the 1890 PR CAM silver dollars cost more, so you should set aside $2,600 to $26,500 for one. Since there are always exceptions, one collector bought one such piece for $40,250 at an auction in 2006.

The most appreciated are 1890 PR DCAM Morgans, so you should count on the highest prices to add one to your collection:

  • PR 60 – $3,200
  • PR 61 – $3,450
  • PR 62 – $3,900
  • PR 63 – $5,750
  • PR 64 – $8,000
  • PR 65 – $13,500
  • PR 66 – $24,000
  • PR 67 – $38,500
  • PR 68 – $75,000

One of these coins in PR 69 grade is the most expensive in the set. It won an auction record in 2013 with a price of $88,125.

1890 CC Morgan Silver Dollar Value

1890 CC Morgan Silver Dollar

Since the mint in Carlson City had the lowest mintage of only 2,309,041 silver dollars in 1890, you can expect them to be expensive. A price range for circulated coins is from $140 to $750, while those ranking from MS 60 to MS 65 cost $900 to $5,500.

The estimation of scarce specimens in MS 66 grade is $34,000 to $38,500, but the auction record holds a piece paid $58,750 in 2015. Interestingly, proof-like Morgans are more affordable, and you can buy one for $355 to $7,000.

The 1890 DMPL Morgan silver dollars are typically worth $500 to $17,500. As expected, auction records are even higher:

  • 1890 CC MS 66 PL dollar – $21,850
  • 1890 CC MS 65 DMPL dollar – $24,000

1890 O Morgan Silver Dollar Value

1890 O Morgan Silver Dollar

With 10,701,000 minted coins, the New Orleans mint produced the second-highest number of silver dollars in 1890, all with the O mint mark. Pieces that spent years in circulation cost little more than the price of the silver they contain, $32 to $70.

Those in the mint mark can cost you $90 to $100 in MS 60 grade, while better-ranking coins are more expensive.

For instance, you should count on $8,500 to $11,750 for MS 66-graded Morgans, while the auction record from 2021 is $22,800. Super rare, highly collectible coins ranked MS 67 are estimated to be $25,000 to $50,000.

The price of 1890 PL Morgan dollars varies from $115 to $500, while the best-preserved specimens in MS 66 grade quickly reach $16,500 to $20,000. One such piece was purchased for $27,600 in 2012.

Finally, you need to count on a price range from $200 to $8,000 when buying the 1890 DMPL Morgans. The best-valuable coin in MS 65+ grade was sold in 2019 at $16,800.

1890 S Morgan Silver Dollar Value

1890 S Morgan Silver Dollar

The San Francisco struck 8,230,373 Morgans in 1890. Coins with the S mint mark typically cost $32 to $90 after years spent in circulation. On the other hand, you can buy one in uncirculated condition for:

  • $100 (MS 60)
  • $125 (MS 61)
  • $140 (MS 62)
  • $215 (MS 63)
  • $3350 (MS 64)
  • $900 (MS 65)
  • $2,650 (MS 66)
  • $20,000 (MS 67)

Silver dollars with PL quality cost $80 to $2,150, but auction prices can surprise you. The highest value of one such coin bought in 2018 was $10,281.

The 1890 DMPL Morgans are a bit more expensive, ranging from $325 to $12,000. The auction record went to a specimen with the MS 65 grade bought in 2006 for $13,800.

Also read: Top 10 Most Valuable Morgan Silver Dollar Worth Money

Rare 1890 Silver Dollar Error List

You can find a few 1890 Morgan silver dollar error types, but the most famous is the Tail bar error (VAM-4). Let’s see.

Tail bar error

Tail bar error

The 1890 dollars with the Tail Bar issue have a scratch from the laurel wreath to the first eagle’s tailfeather under the arrow quill. Collectible proof-like coins produced in Carlson City are estimated to be $2,000 to $6,000, while those with the DMPL quality cost $2,300 to $9,000. However, their auction prices often exceed $20,000.

Besides this specific error, you can find Morgans minted in 1890 with imperfections that significantly increase their prices, such as:

  • Off-center coins cost up to $5,000
  • Die cracks and breaks error coins cost up to $90

Where to Sell Your 1890 Silver dollar ?

Now that you know the value of your coins, do you know where to sell those coins online easily? Don’t worry, I’ve compiled a list of these sites, including their introduction, pros, and cons. 

Check out now: Best Places To Sell Coins Online (Pros & Cons)

FAQ about the 1890 Silver Dollar

What makes 1890 Morgan Silver Dollar rare?

The 1890 silver dollars are not particularly rare in lower grades, although they are over 130 years old. However, the best-quality specimens reach tens of thousands of dollars at auctions. Morgans from Carlson City are the most collectible, especially those with sought-after Tail bar error.

Which 1890 Morgan Silver Dollar are the most valuable?

  • 1890 PR 69* DCAM Silver Dollar – $88,125 (2013)
  • 1890 Super GEM PR Silver Dollar – $63,250 (2005)
  • 1890 CC MS 66 Silver Dollar – $58,750 (2015)
  • 1890 PR 68 CAM Silver Dollar – $40,250 (2006)
  • 1890 MS 66 Silver Dollar – $29,900 (2006)
  • 1890 O MS 66 PL Silver Dollar – $27,600 (2012)
  • 1890 CC MS 65+ Tailbar Silver Dollar – $27,025 (2022)
  • 1890 CC MS 65 DMPL Silver Dollar – $24,000 (2022)
  • 1890 CC MS 64 Tailbar, DMPL Silver Dollar – $23,000 (2005)
  • 1890 O MS 66 Silver Dollar – $22,800 (2021)
  • 1890 MS 65 DMPL Silver Dollar – $22,425 (2008)
  • 1890 CC MS 66 PL Silver Dollar – $21,850 (2009)
  • 1890 CC MS 64+ GSA Hoard Silver Dollar – $19,200 (2017)
  • 1890 S MS 67 Silver Dollar – $17,250 (2009)
  • 1890 O MS 65+ DMPL Silver Dollar – $16,800 (2019)
  • 1890 S MS 65 DMPL Silver Dollar – $13,800 (2006)
  • 1890 CC MS 64+ VAM 4 Tailbar Silver Dollar – $13,200 (2020)
  • 1890 S MS 66 PL Silver Dollar – $10,281 (2018)
  • 1890 CC MS 64+ Tailbar, PL Silver Dollar – $6,463 (2015)
  • 1890 MS 65+ PL Silver Dollar – $5,280 (2021)

What is the price of the 1890 No Mint mark Morgan Silver Dollar?

The 1890 silver dollars minted in Philadelphia cost $32 to $70 in circulated condition. Those in the mint state are worth $75 to $20,000, depending on preservation levels.

What are the highest prices for Morgan Silver Dollar at auctions?

  • 1889 CC MS68 dollar – $881,250
  • 1886 O MS 67 DMPL dollar – $780,000
  • 1884 S MS68 dollar – $750,000

The most expensive proof Morgan silver dollar is the one from Carlson City, minted in 1893. The price of this piece in PR 66 grade was $323,125 at Stack’s Bowers, organized in 2013.

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